Complete Healthcare Management with ERPNext: From Patient Intake to Billing Automation

The healthcare sector is rapidly evolving. Clinics and hospitals are expected to deliver faster care, better service, and manage complex compliance requirements—all while keeping costs down and patient satisfaction high. Outdated software and manual paperwork are no longer sustainable. The future is digital, automated, and integrated.

ERPNext is a comprehensive, open-source ERP platform that includes a full-featured Healthcare Module. It helps you manage everything from the front desk to the pharmacy—from patient onboarding to final billing—all within a single unified system.

What is ERPNext for Healthcare?

ERPNext’s Healthcare Module is tailored for clinics, hospitals, diagnostic labs, and specialty centers. It digitizes every part of your workflow:

• Patient registration and history
• Appointments and scheduling
• Clinical encounters and EMR
• Billing and insurance claims
• Lab and diagnostic requests
• Inpatient care and ward tracking
• Pharmacy and inventory
• Reports, analytics, and compliance

“A doctor can access a complete medical history and prescribe medication without leaving the consultation screen.”

1. Patient Management

ERPNext starts with a solid patient management system that builds a centralized profile for every patient. This profile contains all demographic data, visit history, insurance info, and uploaded files like ID proofs or previous reports.

• Unique patient ID for each profile
• Quick access to encounter and admission history
• Upload documents, scans, and prescriptions

2. Appointment Scheduling

ERPNext provides a dynamic calendar and scheduling system to manage consultations, tests, and surgeries. Appointments are linked to doctors and services, and reminders are sent to reduce no-shows.

• Time-slot management and availability tracking
• Walk-in and emergency patient support
• Automatic email/SMS reminders

3. Clinical Encounters and EMR

Doctors can record clinical notes using templates in SOAP format. Vitals, assessments, diagnosis codes, and prescriptions are all saved in the patient EMR for future reference.

• SOAP notes and ICD-10 tagging
• Vitals like blood pressure, temperature, pulse
• Integrated with lab requests and prescriptions

4. Prescription and Pharmacy Integration

Prescriptions are generated from the encounter screen and sent directly to the pharmacy module. This ensures faster service and eliminates transcription errors.

• Batch tracking and expiry alerts
• Sales linked to patient billing
• Inventory deduction in real time

5. Lab and Diagnostics

Doctors can order lab tests from the consultation interface. Lab technicians receive requests, enter results, and reports are attached to the patient’s profile automatically.

• Customizable test result templates
• Sample collection and lab workflow tracking
• Result publishing to doctors and patients

6. Inpatient (IPD) Management

ERPNext helps manage the complete inpatient workflow—from admission to discharge. It includes bed allocation, nursing records, procedures, and room billing.

• Bed and ward availability
• Daily treatment notes and vitals
• Auto-billing for room and services

7. Billing and Insurance

ERPNext generates invoices automatically based on services rendered—consultations, diagnostics, room charges, and prescriptions. It also supports insurance workflows and co-pay tracking.

• Advance payments and discounts
• Multiple payment modes: cash, card, UPI
• Claim submission and tracking for insurers

8. Reports and Dashboards

Real-time reports give insights into hospital performance and finances. Use prebuilt reports or create custom dashboards.

9. Patient Portal & Communication

Patients can access their profile online to view prescriptions, lab results, book appointments, and pay bills. This improves communication and reduces front desk load.

10. Customization and Integration

ERPNext is highly customizable. You can add custom fields, create approval workflows, integrate with third-party systems, and even build mobile apps using its REST API.

conclusion

ERPNext offers a complete, affordable, and open-source solution for healthcare management. It transforms hospitals and clinics into modern, paperless, and data-driven organizations while improving efficiency, patient satisfaction, and compliance.